


Always

by Chaos_Kisses



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Light Angst, M/M, Oneshot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-02 10:17:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20274301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaos_Kisses/pseuds/Chaos_Kisses
Summary: Sunwoo wasn't too familiar with the phenomenon of words appearing on one's skin: apparently it only happened when they were said with a lot of feeling by the person closest to your heart. The longer they stayed, the more meaning they held.According to some, their words had stayed for only moments but leading up to days on end. The actual duration of their visibility was not directly connected to the time they held meaning for, but more the lingering of the emotion in a person's heart.They could appear anywhere on your body but the closer they were to your heart, the longer the emotion behind them had stayed.





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I have written about The Boyz, so please don't expect too much and excuse mistakes you might find, as english is not my first language.  
Enjoy!
> 
> And if any of you are interested: for the last part of this I had Red by The Rose on repeat and the mood of the song was the basis for the mood of the story. So you might want to give it a listen.

The first time the lines in his skin appeared, Sunwoo decided it was just a freak accident. They didn't mean anything, nor did he even know where they came from. He told himself that he probably just dreamt it. The exhausting mixture of hours of dance practise, rap and vocal lessons plus school work had him see things. He was absolutely convinced of that.

After all, he needed to know the person to have their words on his skin, right? 

Sunwoo wasn't to familiar with the phenomenon of words appearing on ones skin: apparently it only happened when they were said with a lot of feeling by the person closest to your heart. The longer they stayed, the more meaning they held. Some called it soulmate marks.

According to some, their words had stayed for only moment, but leading up to days on end. The actual duration of their visibility was not directly connected to the time they held meaning for, but more the lingering of the emotion in a person's heart.They could appear anywhere on your body, but the closer they were to your heart, the longer the emotion behind them had stayed.

So Sunwoo could be sure that something was wrong when his skin trickled, near his wrist. He chose to ignore it the first time, currently in the middle of a routine with Juyeon and Changmin. He couldn't just stop dancing to look at his wrist.

But the prickling sensation reappeared after a bit, this time stretching around his left wrist as if someone was drawing a line around it.

The music ended just as Sunwoo was thinking it wouldn't stop, but so did the prickling. He tried to inconspicuously lift his sleeve to look at it, but there was nothing on his wrist. Only smooth and empty skin.

He wrinkled his forehead, brows furrowed. Did he have a skin irritation? Had he just imagined it? A water bottle that barely missed his head ripped him out of his daze and he glared in the direction it had come from.

Juyeon was hurrying towards him, hands up in front of him and a panicked expression on his face.

"Oh my god, sorry, I thought you were looking, I didn't want to hit you, are you okay?!" he rambled, slightly panicked and started patting all over Sunwoo's head and face to make sure he was uninjured. Sunwoo raised a brow and looked over Juyeon's shoulder to see Changmin snigger into his water bottle.

He lifted his hands and waved a still worried Juyeon off, taking a step back and flicking his sweat-drenched hair out of his face.

"I'm alright, hyung, calm down." he said with a humorless smile. "Just...look first before you throw a bottle at me next time, okay?" 

Juyeon nodded, still somewhat frantic and retreated his hands. Sunwoo picked up the fallen bottle and went to join Changmin at the mirrors sliding down to sit next to his friend. Juyeon followed after a moment,choosing to lay on the ground spread-eagle, long limbs flailing for a moment before they hit the floor. Changmin glanced at Sunwoo.

"You seemed a bit distracted in the middle," he commented off-handedly. It wasn't an accusation, just a statement, and Sunwoo shook his head.

"Just an off day." he said. He was convinced by now that the prickle on his wrist had been his imagination. 

"We all have off days, so don't sweat it." Juyeon commented from where he was lying, looking at the upside down.

"Oh if only I could hear those words when I am not in peak condition," a sarcastic voice commented from the door. Sunwoo looked up and saw more trainees pile into the room, Jaehyun being the first and the one who had spoken. A grin erased the seriousness from his words and he sauntered towards them, stopping above Juyeon.

His legs caged the youngers waist and he was looking down at him in a smirk. Juyeon smiled back innocently.

"But _ someone _tends to drill me even more when I do." he continued, one eyebrow raised and gaze directed at Juyeon. 

"Practise makes perfect, hyung" the younger commented and let his eyes wander over the body above him before he lifted his upper body to lean back on his elbows instead.

"Not that there is much to perfect really." he concluded his observation. A snort sounded from where the rest had entered the room, Kevin looking thoroughly unimpressed. 

"Stop your flirting, you two, we need to go over the choreography for the monthly evaluation again." Jacob threw in, voice kind as ever. 

His words ended whatever had been going on and they returned to practise for the rest of the evening. When Sunwoo finally fell into bed that night he was incredibly glad that it was Saturday the next day.

His eyes had just slipped shut to Juyeon's snoring beneath him in his bunk when the prickling sensation returned. He hadn't felt anything for the rest of the evening, but now, at almost 2AM it was back. Sunwoo decided to ignore it again when the sensation returned.

"Oh what the hell," he mumbled, annoyed that it was preventing him from getting his well-deserved sleep. He rolled over and turned on the small lamp next to his bunk, pulling up his sleeve to look at his wrist.

He saw some indecipherable black markings wound around it that were just fading into nothingness. Sunwoo was confused. What the hell was that? He stared at his wrist deep in thought when it prickled again. 

As he focussed his attention he fascinated by the way the dark blue writing appeared on his wrist. _ You're only like a dream. _The letters wound over his wrist, the colour intensifying for a moment before they started to fade.

Others appeared in their place. _ I can't reject. _Again the words appeared gradually, gaining in colour before fading again. Sunwoo started, eyes wide. It prickled a third time.

_ I'm there. _ The third line appeared, just like the others. His head whipped up and he looked around. What was going on? Who was here? Where were they? He felt sweat break out and tried to calm his rapid breathing.

His heart was pounding in his chest. Was someone in the dorm? He tried to listen for footsteps, but couldn't hear anything. Shakily, he climbed from his bunk, trying not to wake Juyeon or Younghoon.

Juyeon was snoring away happily, arms clutched around his pillow and a bit of drool on his cheek. His face was mushed into the bedding and he looked both peaceful and stupid. Sunwoo smirked; so much about 'perfection'.

The prickle on his wrist returned and he looked down at his still exposed arm to see the lines from before reappear in the same order. He stood there, eyes transfixed on his wrist until the last line had vanished again. What did that mean?

He turned to his door and slowly pushed down the handle, trying to not make any noise. The hallway was completely dark, the living area deserted and empty. No light was in the kitchen. Sunwoo tiptoed down the hall to their entrance, almost stumbling over one of the million pairs of shoes littered there. Eric was going to have a stroke when he saw it in the morning.

He stretched out his hand and tested the handle: the entrance door was locked, as they did every night. No one was in here. Sunwoo pressed his eye against the spy in the door to peer into the dimly lit hallway outside. No one was there, no shadows or people visible. 

He relaxed and took a step back. The living room windows had been closed, he had heard nothing from any of the rooms and it was practically impossible to get through their kitchen window without pushing over the glass with their fish. Everything was fine. 

The prickle on his wrist returned once more. Sunwoo waddled into the kitchen, turned on the light and took a glass of water from the cabinets to fill it at the sink. Sitting down at their kitchen table he looked at his wrist again: the last line was fading.

He sighed and leaned back, sipping from his water. Whoever was repeating those lines was seriously getting on his nerves. He closed his eyes for a moment when he heard footsteps.

Sunwoo's eyes flew open and he had already prepared himself to scream when Jacob's figure emerged from the hallway. The older boy was rubbing eyes tiredly, hair standing off into every direction. He peered blearily at Sunwoo.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, voice rough from sleep. Sunwoo relaxed and leaned back again. He was fine.

"Just having some water," he said. "I couldn't sleep." It wasn't a lie after all.

Jacob nodded and went to get himself a glass too before dropping onto the chair next to Sunwoo.

"What was keeping you up?" the older asked. "You looked dead tired when we came back, even more than Eric." 

Sunwoo avoided Jacob's gaze and stared at his water. He didn't know what to say. Jacob waited patiently for his answer, swaying slightly with sleepiness. He knew not to press Sunwoo for answers. Eventually, the younger would reach a decision.

"Hyung, have you had…" he started but trailed off. He didn't know how to word it. Jacob looked at him attentively.

"Have you had… words on you before?" His voice got more quiet with every word that left his lips. Jacob's eyebrows flew up, and he leaned forward towards Sunwoo.

"Is the thought of them keeping you up or the sensation?" he asked softly. Sunwoo felt heat creep up his cheeks. At the same time his wrist prickled again and he clenched his hand to a fist where it was laying on the table. Jacob's eyes flitted over as the lines appeared.

His lips were slightly opened and he leaned closer to read the words on Sunwoo's wrist. The three lines appeared, as they did before, vanishing into nothingness again. 

Sunwoo looked at Jacob's face: the older seemed lost in thought before he cleared his voice and straightened out his posture to turn to the younger. 

"Do you know who they're from?" he asked, and Sunwoo shook his head. 

"I think they appeared during dance practise in the afternoon already, but they didn't come back until I was almost asleep." he whispered. "It was a bit… scary." 

Jacob nodded understandingly.

"You thought someone was here." he stated and earned a nod in reply. He hummed before he continued.

"If it's the same lines every time, it seems someone is practising them with you in mind. Or maybe they thought about you when they wrote them and can't get them out of their mind." he said slowly. "Maybe they're lines from a poem, or a text. Or just directed at you." 

Sunwoo bit his lip as he mulled over his hyung's words. They made sense, but he still didn't know where they came from- or rather, who. Jacob's hand softly stroked his forearm.

"You should go to sleep, Sunwoo. If you don't know who it is, I doubt you'll figure something out at half past two in the morning." he said gently and got up from his seat, taking their glasses from the table to place them in the sink. Sunwoo was still chewing on his lower lip.

"Come on." A gentle hand laid on his shoulder and Sunwoo looked at the table once more before he got up from his seat. Jacob kept a comforting arm around him and lead him down the hallway to his room.

"Ignore the sensation for now and try to sleep. If they, whoever they are, are repeating those lines that often, they won't stop after today. So don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually." he reassured the younger once more, both hands on his upper arms and a gently smile on his face. Sunwoo nodded and turned to open his door.

"Thanks, hyung," he whispered. Jacob chuckled and his footsteps receded down the hallway to where his room was. 

"Anytime," he replied before he vanished into his room again. Sunwoo, too, turned around and returned to his shared room, climbing up the ladder to his bunk bed. He crawled under the covers and flipped the light switch off. Darkness enveloped him. 

The prickle on his wrist returned once more, but he ignored it and let sleep take him over.

.oO°Oo.

The words returned, all throughout the course of the following week, but Sunwoo ignored them mostly. He didn't know what they meant and he rather concentrated on more imminent things: practise, school and his co-trainees.

They were preparing for their monthly evaluation, so Sunwoo spent almost all the time he wasn't at school or doing homework in the practise room to work on his footwork, practise his rapping with Eric and his singing with Sangyeon and Kevin.

On Wednesday evening they had all huddled up in the middle of the practice room around their manager's phone. Haknyeon was calling from Produce 101, the trainees having been allocated half an hour for phone calls. They knew he had talked to his family before calling them and probably hadn't got much time left but Sunwoo was glad that he called them at all.

He knew Haknyeon was incredibly stressed on Produce: Mnet had evil-edited him early on and he had received harsh criticism. He struggled to remain as 'humble' as the PDs wanted him to be and to give his everything at the same time. 

Sunwoo missed his friend - among the trainees, he was closest to him. He knew he was having a hard time, but a selfish voice inside his head was whispering that he didn't want Haknyeon to make it into the final line-up. Not because he didn't deserve it, but solely because Sunwoo was sure that he didn't want to be separated from the one year older boy for a long period of time. 

He wanted to debut together with Haknyeon and at the moment management was hinting at forming a new boy group. If Haknyeon made it into the final line-up of Produce 101, Sunwoo knew he wouldn't be able to debut with Hak. Management wouldn't wait one and a half years. 

And even though he wanted the best for his friend, Sunwoo didn't know if he'd be ready to accept eventual separation.

"Hi everyone!" Haknyeon's voice sounded strange through the phone, and overly happy. Sunwoo frowned. What was going on? The other boys greeted him back and Sunwoo chimed in anyway.

"How are you?" Sangyeon asked. 

"I'm good, don't worry." Haknyeon replied cheerily. "We're gearing up for the concept evaluation on Friday!" 

"So you're working hard?" Jaehyun asked and Haknyeon hummed in affirmation. 

"We've been going over the song and the choreography over and over again, and I think we might be able to win! I'm working hard everyone!" 

His voice sounded fake, too cheerful, and his words were to staged. Sunwoo's frown deepened and he caught Jacob's eye from across the circle. The older mirrored his expression and as Sunwoo looked around, the rest of the boys weren't faring any different. 

Some loud shuffling and a door closing had them return their attention to the phone, until a click and a sigh sounded. 

"Okay, I'm alone now." Haknyeon's voice had changed. It sounded more tired, exhausted, less loud. 

"A few people from the filming crew were here to get some shots of our phone calls and collect mics, so I had to be cheerful, but they're gone now, and took the mic pack too." A ruffle that sounded like Haknyeon had sat down came through the phone, almost obstructing his last words. 

Understanding bloomed on the faces of the other trainees. Sunwoo felt anger well up. Mnet really had to film everything.

"So how are you really?" Jacob asked softly, worry lacing his voice. A sigh came through the speaker.

"I'm exhausted." Haknyeon said. "We all are. I think I had maybe 4 hours of sleep over the last two days and my whole body just hurts from the endless practise. "

More muffled ruffling could be heard, a voice in questioning tone and Haknyeon's reply of 'My friends'. Apparently he was in his dorm room with the others.

"How is your song coming along?" Juyeon asked. 

"It's good, actually." Haknyeon admitted. "I don't really have a lot of lines, but considering my standing it's probably for the best." 

His voice sounded dejected and Sunwoo felt the anger in him rise even more.

"You deserve to show what you got, hyung." he said loudly. Affirmative answers and similar exclamations followed from the rest of the boys in the room. A smile was audible in the voice of the tired boy at the other end of the line. 

"Thanks guys. I'm glad to hear that." he sighed. Eric pumped his fist into the air, almost sucker punching Hwall in his excitement

"It's only the truth, hyung! We're all rooting for you!" he called and Haknyeon chuckled at their maknae's antics.

"I miss you guys." he whispered. His voice sounded choked up. "I really miss you, and to be honest I can't wait to go home after Friday, no matter how it goes." 

A short silence filled the room as Haknyeon struggled to remain tearless. Eventually Changmin spoke, his voice soft and laced with emotion. 

"We miss you too. We'll be rooting for you on Friday, and we'll be waiting up for you." The other's agreed. 

"Don't let them bring you down, okay?" Sunwoo added. Haknyeon hummed in agreement before someone spoke in the background again. More rustling was heard before he spoke again.

"I need to end the call, guys, my time is up." he said dejectedly. They all sighed - only until Friday, then they could all talk again. Goodbyes were never Sunwoo's strong suit, so he just quietly chimed into the choir of voices before the call ended. 

Friday.

.oO°Oo.

As Friday came they were all gathered in the living room, ready to watch the episode and root for their friend. Sunwoo wasn't paying too much attention. The words had been appearing on his arm again and again, but they started to stay longer, and slower moved upwards. By now they were closer to his elbow than his wrist.

He had chosen to wear hoodies and long sleeved shirts for most of the week to avoid questions and had shook his head when Jacob had quietly asked him if he had figured it out. Now, he was crammed on the floor between his other friends, with Sangyeon, Jaehyun, Kevin, Younghoon and Changmin taking over the couch. Kevin had pulled a struggling Chanhee down on his lap who had relented after some protests and let the Canadian cuddle him. Sunwoo was mushed between a sleepy looking Juyeon with Hwall's head on his lap and a nervous Jacob who was trying to calm a fidgety Eric next to him. Sunwoo was sitting cross legged under a blanket he shared with Jacob.

He didn't feel as nervous as the others and he barely paid attention to what was happening on screen, only making an effort when the part about Haknyeon's team started. But even then it was futile - Mnet wasn't giving him much screen time anyway. Sunwoo almost dozed off at some point when Jacob nudged him. The performance was about to start.

The song seemed promising and the choreography definitely wasn't easy but the team worked well together. This Daniel as centre and the guy from Nu'Est as main vocal really got them some brownie points. But Sunwoo's eyes were focused on Haknyeon whenever he was in the frame. He knew the other didn't have many lines and he definitely did not want to miss them. 

They had gone through almost half of the first verse when Haknyeon's voice sounded through his mike. It was only one line, but Sunwoo froze completely. Had he misheard the words? He didn't have time to think about it really when a prickling sensation appeared near his shoulder on his upper arm. His eyes widened, just as Haknyeon sang again. And this time it was definite.

_ I can't reject. _The line he had read on his arm all week long now sounded through the room, along with another prickling sensation on his upper arm. Sunwoo's hand subconsciously reached up but another hand held it down.

His eyes followed the arm holding him down: Jacob had grabbed his hand and was squeezing it. His gaze was still directed at the TV, but his eyes were just as wide. He had noticed it too then. He knew the lines.

Sunwoo sat there anxiously. Haknyeon didn't sing again until it was nearing the bridge. It was only two words, but Sunwoo knew what would come. _ I'm there. _

The song ended shortly after, but Sunwoo didn't even react. He was in shock. His friends were muttering around him, criticising how few line Hak had been given, but Sunwoo didn't join in. Jacob was still holding his hand, petting a still fidgety Eric next to him.

The song ranking flew by without Sunwoo grasping anything apart from the fact that Haknyeon's team won. He should probably care more, but he couldn't. Haknyeon's words, his lines, had been directed at Sunwoo. How was he to react to that? How should he feel about it? Was Haknyeon even aware of it? And did he have words inked into his skin too?

While the other members were still discussing, he excused himself to the bathroom to start his nightly routine already. They would be waiting for Haknyeon, but they didn't know when he would be home after all, so everyone had decided to get ready for bed after the episode ended. Sunwoo close the door behind him and leaned his body over the sink. 

His reflection looked back at him from the mirror, pale and a little scared. With shaking hands he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, taking a deep breath in the process before he turned to look at his arm in the mirror. 

Right underneath his shoulder juncture, the three sentence were clearly visible on his skin. They showed no sign of fading and formed a chain that wound around his biceps in a downward path. The dark blue created a stark contrast to his pale skin. Sunwoo traced his shaking hands over the letters, when a knock on the door startled him. 

"Sunwoo? Can I join you?" Jacob asked from outside the door. It wasn't uncommon for them to share the bathroom, especially if they only wanted to wash their faces or do their skin care routine. Sunwoo turned around to let the older in.

Jacob smiled at him and stepped into the bathroom, before locking the door and silently as possible. He turned back to Sunwoo.

"So it's our Hak, is it?" he asked. The question was obviously rhetorical, understanding glimmering in his eyes. Sunwoo nodded, eyes cast down. Jacob took a step towards him and gestured towards his arm, that he was covering with his other hand. 

"Can I?" he asked. Sunwoo nodded and dropped his hand. He was almost afraid to look, but when Jacob stepped closer and traced his fingers over the words he turned his head towards it again. The words still showed no sign of fading, bright blue clear as it had been before. 

"What do I do?" The question left his mouth before he could stop it, and sounded shakier than Sunwoo was proud of. Jacob looked into his eyes and retreated his fingers from his arm.

"That depends." he replied slowly. "What do you want the words to mean? What do you want Haknyeon to say with them?"

Sunwoo wasn't sure what he was supposed to reply. His thoughts were mayhem, and he couldn't grasp them to form a clear sentence. He just looked at Jacob who studied his face.

"You know," the older continued. "It's okay to miss him. And to want him back, even though you also want him to succeed for his own good and to prove his abilities to the world." 

Sunwoo felt startled. It was as if Jacob had read his thoughts. He knew the older was observant and understood his fellow trainees like a mother would their children. But sometimes his insight was almost scary.

"But I'm guessing it's more than that for you." he stated after a small pause. Sunwoo hesitated before he nodded shakily. Who was he kidding, after all? He knew this ran deeper than he had dared to admit. And he would have to face it eventually. 

A small smile, gentle and understanding, appeared on Jacob's face and he pulled the younger boy closer enveloping him in a comforting hug. Sunwoo stiffened for a moment before he relaxed and leaned his head against his hyung's shoulder.

"It's okay," Jacob murmured. Sunwoo inhaled shakily.

"I don't want him to leave." he admitted in a whisper. Jacob hummed.

"I don't want him to leave us, leave me behind. God knows he deserves to debut but…" Sunwoo leaned up and looked at Jacob's face.

"I'm selfish. I want him to stay with me." His voice got smaller towards the end and he hung his head, feeling ashamed. But Jacob pulled him in again.

"That's okay, Woo." he whispered. "You're allowed to feel that." 

A knock on the door had them both jump in surprise. 

"Are you almost done?" Sangyeon asked through the door. "We should get ready before Haknyeon's back." 

"Almost done!" Jacob called back and loosened his arms around Sunwoo to push him towards the sink.

"Come on." he said with a smile. Sunwoow breathed deeply and followed his movements.

Hak came back at three in the morning, looking absolutely exhausted and dead on his feet. There were deep bags under his eyes and he was swaying slightly, almost more dead than alive. 

He shocked an excited Eric ,who had bolted for the door at the first sound, into a frozen state. Sunwoo, who had followed right after just walked past their shocked maknae and enveloped Haknyeon in a hug. 

He had decided that he could panic and decide on a course of action later. During the wait his first panic had subsided and his rationality returned. For now, Haknyeon, his best friend, needed him. And he would be there for him.

He felt the smaller boy's arms go around his waist immediately as he leaned his head against Sunwoo's collar bone. Eric snapped out of his stupor and stepped forward throwing his arms around them from the side. The other boys followed shortly after, all joining into the hug, murmuring praises at Haknyeon. 

Sunwoo had rested his cheek on Haknyeon's head and caught Jacob's eyes. The older smiled and nodded at him before he pointed towards the kitchen and let go of the puppy pile in the entrance. Sangyeon stepped back too. 

"Let's go to the living room," he said gently and put a hand on the shoulders of the closest boys. Slowly they untangled themselves and turned towards the living area. Haknyeon was the last to move, his arms only slowly loosening from around Sunwoo. 

He sighed and stepped back a bit before looking up at the younger. Sunwoo wound an arm around Haknyeon and pulled him towards the others. Jacob followed them, emerging from the kitchen with a mug of tea.

They all piled onto the sofa, Haknyeon cuddled between the others and with the tea Jacob handed him. He told them a few things from set and the performance, but they could all see how tired he was. 

Eventually Sangyeon spoke up to send them all to bed. When Sunwoo went to get up from the sofa with the rest of the members who were already bustling around Haknyeon grabbed his sleeve. 

"Sleep in my bed tonight?" he asked timidly. Sunwoo felt a short wave of nervousness, but he pushed the feeling down. This was Haknyeon. He nodded and caught Jaehyun's eye, who was still sprawled out over the armrest. The older nodded after a moment and got up to go to Sunwoo's shared room.

Haknyeon sighed and sat up. 

"I'm gonna get ready quickly, okay?" he said and Sunwoo nodded, pulling him up from the sofa. Haknyeon grabbed some clothes from his closet to wear to bed before leaving the room again. Sunwoo climbed up to Haknyeon's upper bunk, dragging Jaehyun's blanket up with him before lying down already. 

His mind drifted off, still thinking about the words on his skin that had only slightly faded by now. He was glad he wore a long sleeved shirt. If the sleeve of a T-shirt rode up he would have some explaining to do. And he wasn't ready for giving an explanation he didn't have.

The movement of the bed and a dip of the mattress returned his attention to the room he was in. Haknyeon had climbed up the ladder and was now lying down next to him. He knew the older boy needed cuddles when he was sad or in an emotionally bad state. 

It wasn't the first time they shared a bed and Sunwoo didn't think twice about it when Haknyeon shuffled close and threw his arm over Sunwoo's waist. His head came to rest against his shoulder and his breath hit Sunwoo's neck when the younger turned on his side to envelop Haknyeon in a hug again, his arms going around his torso. 

Haknyeon's grip around his waist tightened for a moment and pulled Sunwoo closer before a slight shudder seemed to go through his body. Hot tears spilled onto Sunwoo's shoulder and a sob rocked the body in his arms. Haknyeon's walls had finally crumbled down and all the pent up frustration, sadness and pressure came tumbling down. 

Sunwoo buried his face in Haknyeon's hair and pulled him even closer, their legs tangling together. He didn't know how long they stayed like this, but eventually his friend's tears dried up. When his breathing evened out and his body relaxed, Sunwoo too slipped into a deep slumber.

.oO°Oo. 

Haknyeon was only home for three days before he had to go filming for last elimination again. They all felt nervous during that day, and no one commented on the more frequent missteps during dance practise. The whole dorm was tense in the evening until the door opened and their manager came in with Haknyeon in tow. 

"I'm going to pick you up tomorrow at 4.30, so be ready and packed by then." he said with a hand on Haknyeon's shoulder before he turned to the rest of the boys who had gathered at the door. 

"Make sure he eats something, sleeps enough and has everything packed and ready for tomorrow, okay?" he said with a kind expression. His eyes flew over their faces, halting on Jacob and Sangyeon as the unofficial parents of the group for a second before he turned around and closed the door behind him. 

His words had already cleared the question, but still everyone waited anxiously until Haknyeon looked at them with a tired and smile.

"I'm in the top 20." he said. Changmin screeched and jumped to hug him, closely followed by an equally excited Eric. Sunwoo felt a wry smile on his face but he hugged his friend all the same before they went to the kitchen to eat the food they had prepared beforehand.

Haknyeon told them about the filming, the surprises in rank and elimination. He talked shortly about the goodbyes, but quickly changed topics to ask how they were doing. No one pressed the matter and instead Changmin launched into a lengthy explanation on their new choreography. 

Sunwoo couldn't help but keep his eyes on Haknyeon. The other had food on his plate and moved his chopsticks to his mouth with bites every now and then, but he wasn't eating much. He couldn't blame him - all the tears of today would've been a blow to everyone's appetite - but he had also noticed how much weight Haknyeon had lost when they shared a bed. 

Sunwoo caught Sangyeon's eyes and nodded slightly towards Haknyeon's plate. The older followed his gaze and nodded before looking over at Chanhee. He, too, looked worried at Haknyeon's lack of appetite. When the boy eventually excused himself to the bathroom to prepare for bed, Sunwoo stepped to where Chanhee, Sangyeon and Jacob were already gathered in the kitchen. 

Kevin joined them and threw his arms around Jacobs from behind resting his chin on the other canadian boy's shoulder.

"He's not eating." he remarked. "And not just today." 

Sunwoo was once again surprised at Kevin's observant nature. He had been sure that the older was completely engrossed in an english conversation with Eric, gesturing animatedly and loudly proclaiming something about art. But he must've been watching from the sidelines after all.

Sangyeon nodded at Kevin's remark. 

"I think we all noticed, and I'm not sure but he seems to have lost a considerable amount of weight." he said. All eyes went to Sunwoo, who nodded. 

"He definitely has. When he came back on Friday night, I could feel his ribs. And he is definitely a lot thinner. More than he should be." his voice gained a certain hardness. 

"You know," Chanhee through in, "I heard some stuff about Mnet not feeding them equally. Something about ranking and popularity. Is he getting enough food?" 

Sunwoo shook his head. 

"Even then, I know he always takes extra food with him and it wasn't in his suitcase anymore when he returned." He took a deep breath. 

"I'm pretty sure it's the stress." He continued. "He's not eating enough, he's not getting enough sleep and he's constantly under fire. It's taking its toll on him, in my opinion." 

Jacob nodded. "I agree. But I still think we should pack some snacks more for him - the last week won't be any easier and they're doing two songs after all." 

Sangyeon nodded. He had been grocery shopping yesterday, so their pantry was stocked. He looked at all of them before he turned to Sunwoo. 

"Could you make sure he packs what he needs for the week before he goes to bed and then puts his suitcase in the hallway?" he asked. "Tell him I'll pack food for him, so he can just grab it tomorrow morning when manager-hyung picks him up."

Sunwoo nodded and Sangyeon sighed. The oldest seemed worried, and Jacob as well. He and Kevin were whispering in rapid English to each other, too fast for Sunwoo to understand. He turned around after nodding towards the others and trudged down the hallway before making a decision. 

He walked towards Jaehyun's room and knocked until he heard a quiet 'come in'. The older was lying on his bunk when Sunwoo pushed the door open and looked at him. He sat up after a moment and nodded.

"Just get me from your room when you're done talking, alright?" he said and patted Sunwoo's shoulder on his way out. The older really was more caring than he let on sometimes. Sunwoo sat down on Jaehyun's bunk to wait. 

It didn't take long until Haknyeon entered the room, startled when he saw Sunwoo instead of his roommate. 

"Hey," he said in greeting and went to open his suitcase. 

"Sangyeon said to pack what you need and then put your suitcase into the hallway," Sunwoo said, leaning against the wall behind the bed. "He'll pack food for you so you don't have to search for it in the morning and get more sleep." 

Haknyeon straightened from where he had been hunched over his underwear drawer and threw a smile over his shoulder. 

"That's nice of him." he said and dropped what he had gathered into the suitcase before going pack to grab more practise shirts and pants as well as some nicer clothes. His toiletries were already in a bag he had brought from the bathroom with him and he just dropped some towels and his charger into the suitcase before he closed it and dragged it outside his door. 

When he came back he grabbed his bag from the floor and sifted through its contents to make sure he had everything he needed. He hadn't unpacked anything after today's filming so he quickly put it down and joined Sunwoo on the bed, dropping his head in his lap.

They sat (in Haknyeon's case laid) there in silence with Sunwoo carding his hands through his hair until Haknyeon drew a long breath. 

"I'm scared," he whispered, eyes staring up at the bed above him. 

"I'm scared of what is going to come out of this. I'm not sure if even want to make it." His voices faded, the last part almost inaudible. He looked at Sunwoo who had pushed himself off the wall and was now sitting straight, looking down on him. 

"I want to make it to prove a point." he continued. "But I don't know if I could deal with it." 

Sunwoo felt a bit shaken by these words. He understood where Haknyeon came from, but it still wasn't easy to grasp.

"I am scared that if I make it people will hate me even more." A tear slipped from the older boy's eye and rolled down his temple. "They hate me already."

Sunwoo carded his fingers through his friends hair. He had never seen Haknyeon this… torn. Desperate, sad, angry, happy, he all knew but this was new. He didn’t really know what to do, so he decided on what he was familiar with already. 

He reached around the other and pulled him up into an almost sitting position. Haknyeon let himself be handled like a ragdoll. Sunwoo leaned back against the wall again and laid the other against his chest, arms wound tightly around him, one hand going back to his hair. He felt Haknyeon curl into him and sigh. 

“They are stupid to hate you.” he said. “To hate you because you are ambitious, hard-working, talented. To hate you because you deserve to succeed.” He lowered his face to Haknyeon’s as far as he could.

“They don’t know what they’re missing out on then.” he whispered. “You deserve this, this success, and if they don’t let you succeed, then it’s their loss. Because I know, all of us here know what you are worth. And you can prove your worth.”

Haknyeon’s eyes slipped shut at his words, tears falling from them and pouring down his face once more. He turned his face and nuzzled into Sunwoo’s shirt, near the seam of his neck. Sunwoo lifted his head again only to bury his nose in Haknyeon’s hair again and pressing a soft kiss against his head. 

They stayed like this for a while until Sunwoo felt that Haknyeon’s was falling asleep on him. He softly shook the other boy. 

“Go to bed.” he whispered as Haknyeon lifted his head. “You’ll need to get up early tomorrow.” Haknyeon nodded drowsily at him before he got up and went to climb up the ladder to his bunk. Though shaky, his legs carried him. Sunwoo followed him up a few steps and looked at the boy in his bed before he threw his blanket over him. 

He went back down and checked if Haknyeon had set his alarm. He had, a preset alarm for 4 AM, as well as one for 5AM called ‘bedtime’. Sunwoo put the phone next to Haknyeon and quietly left the room, trudging to his own and opening the door. Jaehyun was tangled into a long and gangly mess of limbs with Juyeon as they whispered to not wake a snoring Younghoon. 

Jaehyun looked up when Sunwoo came in and nodded with a questioning look. Sunwoo nodded back and went to climb up the ladder. 

“His alarm is set already, so don’t worry," he said when he arrived in his bed. “Just maybe make sure he gets up. He’s seriously lacking sleep.” 

A hum told him Jaehyun had heard him and Sunwoo cuddled into his pillow, wrapping his blankets around him. He felt a bit cold without the extra warmth of a second body on him. Closing his eyes he heard some rustling and an almost inaudible smacking sound that sounded suspiciously like a kiss before Jaehyun slipped out of their room. Sunwoo closed his eyes.

.oO°Oo. 

The week went by at a snail’s pace and too quickly all at once. Practise continued as usual, and they had watched the new episode of Produce 101 on Friday after Haknyeon had left on Wednesday to return to filming. The song he ended up in fit him, Sunwoo decided, even though the lack of lines was even more serious this time around. 

A different lack of lines was also on Sunwoo’s mind. No words appeared on his skin this time around, and while he was somewhat glad about not feeling the prickle all the time, he also missed it sometimes. So he devoted himself to practise and school work instead, until his skin prickled again on Monday. This time around it wasn’t on his arm (luckily, as he was wearing short sleeves) but on his left collarbone instead. 

He had felt it only shortly, but excused himself to the bathroom when they finished their routine nevertheless. After closing the door behind him, he pulled the collar of his shirt down. Only one words was written there, in cursive english letters. 

_ Always. _

Sunwoo stared at the dark blue letters for a moment and was about to let his shirt go when another words appeared next to it, this time in korean. 

_ I promise. _

A knock startled him. 

“Sunwoo?” Jacob asked through the door. “Did it happen again?” 

Sunwoo almost ripped the door open and pulled his hyung inside before he closed it again and pulled his shirt over his head. The skin beneath his collarbone down to his pectoral was prickling and he saw letters appear, forming sentences, but they were upside down for him. Jacob’s eyes that had been stuck on the first two words widened. 

“What does it say?” Sunwoo asked urgently. “I can’t read it upside down!” 

Jacob quickly scanned the letters on his chest. Everything was in korean letters, except for the first word that had appeared on Sunwoo’s collarbone.

“It looks like lyrics again.” he said. “ 'I will hold both of your hands tightly now, just like this.'”

He narrowed his eyes but the letters beneath had started fading as soon as they had appeared. Sunwoo, sighed and pulled his shirt over his head again. 

“I’ll find out later, I guess. Maybe they’ll stay longer with time again.” he said. They needed to get back. Jacob nodded and opened the door. 

They returned to practise, acting like nothing happened, but the new words were on Sunwoo’s mind all the time. He felt them prickle, again and again, but he didn’t dare look at them. He ignored the sensation the whole day, until he got ready to shower in the evening. The words kept appearing, but the lower lines faded again and again, before he could decipher them or snap a picture of them. Only what Jacob had read to him stayed long enough to be seen. 

It didn’t change throughout the week and they all got more nervous with Friday approaching. They had gathered in the living room again; Pizza, chicken and other takeout piled up on the low table in front of them. This time around, Sunwoo had managed to snatch a place on the sofa. He felt anxious when the trainees entered the stage, eyes searching for Haknyeon immediately and staying there. He barely caught anything of what Boa was saying, or what happened with Team ‘Superhot’. Even the cuts from ‘Hands on me’ flew by, his only focus being Haknyeon until they appeared on stage. 

Admittedly, it was good but they all grumbled about the line distribution again, Eric full on pouting against Kevin’s side who was muttering curses in English. The scenes of the messages to the parents caught him by surprise. To see Haknyeon cry and talk about his family, his father, hit them all hard. They had seen him during that time and knew how hard it had been on him. 

Sunwoo lowered his head, a stray tear escaping his eyes. He wiped it away angrily. He wasn’t here to cry. With a deep breath he focused on the stage again where the trainees had now take position for their last song. The name was shown on screen and he saw Jacob’s head whip around to him. 

_ Always. _

A slow and sad song about keeping all the memories one had shared, and to not let go of who was closest to you, even if you were separated. Sunwoo felt his heart clench when the chorus started. He knew this line. And he knew what would had always appeared on his chest but hadn’t stayed long enough to be read. 

_ I will hold both of your hands tightly now, just like this. _

The line made his heart clench and he swallowed. 

_ Just like the word ‘forever’, let’s stay together. _

His hands shook. The prickle had started on his chest again and he knew there words were reappearing. 

_ You and me, just like this without changing. _

His eyes swam, but he blinked back the tears. He wouldn’t cry. 

_ I will love you with just one heart. _

Sunwoo’s eyes widened and he knew Jacob must be thinking the same. What did this mean? Up to now he had thought he understood Haknyeon’s emotions. The wish to not let him go, because they were close, they were friends, they understood each other, even needed each other. But this. It changed his whole understanding. How was he to take this?

_ Always. _

Haknyeon’s voice carried the notes of this line with so much emotion. This one word, that Seunwoo knew would come still carried more meaning than he had fathomed. He felt like he couldn’t move. The song carried on and the prickle returned to his chest with the chorus, but he still couldn’t gather his thoughts. 

It was only when Haknyeon’s voice sounded again that his head cleared a bit. 

_ I promise. _

But what was he promising him? He was absolutely lost. When the song ended and Boa started talking again, he got up to excuse himself to the bathroom. On shaky legs he climbed off the couch and locked the door behind himself once he reached it. Stepping forward to the sink, he splashed some cold water on his face and stared at his reflection for a moment before he breathed deeply and peered inside his shirt. 

The words were still there. Not faded, not vanishing. A deep royal blue painted them on his chest. A promise, as far as he knew, from the depths of Haknyeon’s heart. He still didn’t know what exactly he was promising. 

He would have understood it with only the first lines. They had wanted to debut together, to share more memories together, have everything between them remain as it was. But this last line. To love him with just one heart? Was he reading too much into this? Was it hopeless? Or not after all?

Or did it mean that even if everything changed, they would remain the same, like they did before? Instead of separation they’d still be like one? Did it mean that even if Haknyeon made it into the final line up, his heart would remain here?

But why with Sunwoo? Was this a metaphor? His heart as his identity? Or did he mean love? What if he meant love? His head started spinning. This were too many questions and Sunwoo didn’t have the answer to even one of them. 

Only one thought was clear, even with all the fog in his head. He knew he loved Haknyeon, had fallen for him a long time ago. And deep within him he had known it already. And he knew he didn’t want him to leave. He wanted him to stay. 

He took another deep breath and looked at his reflection again. He wouldn’t be able to change the outcome of today. But he could at least wish for the one he was hoping for. He could be selfish this time, especially because it wouldn’t change the outcome. 

He turned around and returned to the living room, where the others were by now awaiting the first name to be called. Jacob sent him a glance with a raised eyebrow, but Sunwoo just answered with a smile bare of any mirth before he sat down again.

Each name that was called had him more on edge but he kept chanting in his head. It was like a mantra he kept repeating subconsciously, until he was murmuring under his breath and Hwall hit him to shut up already. 

_ Don’t leave. Stay with me. Always. _

The last word had snuck into it, burned into his mind. He kept repeating it, searched for Haknyeon’s face on the screen again and again. When the top ten had been announced and he was still with the other trainees, Sunwoo felt his anxiousness rise. The votings had been strange enough before. The chance remained that Haknyeon became their number 11. 

All the others around him seemed equally tense. He heard Jaehyun murmur a quiet ‘Come on’ but wasn’t sure who it was directed at. Time seemed to become impossible slow, each second dragging along until Boa finally opened her mouth to announce the last member. 

“Ha Sungwoon.”

Cheers erupted the screen and on stage, as the remaining trainees congratulated Sungwoon. Their dorm was quiet. No one really knew how to react. On one hand they were glad to have Haknyeon with them, on the other he would have deserved to win. Silence remained with everyone in their own thoughts as Sungwoon made his teary speech when Sangyeon cleared his throat. 

“He’ll probably want some space.” he said. “We should all get ready before he returns again and be prepared for the possibility that he doesn’t want to see anyone.” 

They all nodded. A few stray tears were falling from Eric’s eyes, but Sunwoo couldn’t decide if it was anger or disappointment. They decided to ignore the rest of the program. It would just be some encouraging words and teary goodbyes, so they left it running as Sangyeon and Eric started tidying the table, and Hwall went to get a trash can for all the empty packages. The rest of them slowly untangled and got up from the sofa, Juyeon promptly falling down again as his legs had fallen asleep. 

Jaehyun snorted and looked at Sunwoo, who was still on the sofa with them. 

“I’m gonna sleep in your room tonight, okay?” he said. “Either way, Haknyeon can have some space, and I’ll just sleep with this idiot.” 

He pointed at Juyeon who replied with a kicked puppy look but still couldn’t move his legs. Sunwoo nodded and got up to help with the cleaning. When he arrived in the kitchen he was sent to dry the dishes and cutlery Younghoon and already cleaned and leaned against the counter as he followed the order. The others were moving around slowly, some going to the bathroom, some still gathering things from the living room. They seemed all a bit lost on how to behave. 

Eventually, it quieted down and Younghoon left the kitchen after finishing the dishes. Sunwoo finished drying the cutlery and hung the now soaked dish towel to dry before he leaned against the kitchen counter again. Steps came down the hallway and Jacob leaned next to him, a pack of his cereals in hand. He offered them Sunwoo but he declined.

“Sooo.” he said. Sunwoo huffed. 

“Sooo?” he asked. Jacob looked at him. 

“I know how you probably feel about the final, so I won’t ask anything about that.” he said softly. “But did you figure out something?” 

He glanced towards Sunwoo’s chest, were the words were still visible. Sunwoo had checked: they showed no sign of fading. 

“I have… understood some things about myself, I think.” he began slowly. “But I haven’t really figured out what Haknyeon meant by it.” 

Jacob nodded, throwing some cereals into his mouth. Silence filled the kitchen, with only the small crunches from his chewing audible. 

“That’s a start then.” he said approvingly. Sunwoo noticed someone from the corner of his eye: Kevin was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. Jacob glanced over at him before he looked back at Sunwoo once more and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“You should talk to him then.” WIth that he turned around and walked to Kevin, who stood upright. Engaging into chatter they disappeared down the hallway. 

Sunwoo nodded to himself. He would definitely talk to Haknyeon.

.oO°Oo. 

The sound of the door closing rose him from his slumber. Sunwoo jerked awake and blinked blearily from where he was laying on the couch. The clock on the wall said it was almost five in the morning. A figure appeared in the dim light. Haknyeon. 

“Sunwoo?” he whispered disbelievingly. “Why are you sleeping on the sofa?” 

He stepped closer and Sunwoo sat up straight when his wits finally caught up with his body. 

“I was waiting for you.” he said. “The others were too, but they fell asleep one after the other, so I stayed in the living room to hear when you come home.” 

He knew he had started rambling and got up from the sofa, but his mouth just had a mind of his own.

“Jaehyun-hyung is sleeping in my room, so you can decide if you want,” he swallowed and took a small step forward, “if you want to cuddle or be on your own, I don’t mind either. Hyung said he’d be sleeping with Juyeon-hyung.” He felt himself blush at the implication of his words.

“Like, you know what I mean, even though you never know with these two, but Younghoon-hyung is in the room too! Even though he’s just as weird, so you still couldn’t be sure. But yeah, i can go to my bed, or I’ll just go and sleep with Eric, or Jacob-hyung, or…” 

He stopped his ramble when a small giggle left Haknyeon’s mouth. 

“I really don’t want to sleep on my own tonight.” he said and stepped towards Sunwoo. “So I’m glad you’re here and I won’t have to sneak into your room.”

Haknyeon had stepped closer and was now right in front of Sunwoo, his face lifted up at him and a soft smile playing on his features. Sunwoo wondered how Haknyeon was so calm, but upon closer inspection he saw how puffy his eyes looked. He had cried enough already. 

“Then get ready, I’ll wait for you.” he said and put a gentle hand on Haknyeon’s shoulder as he stepped towards the older’s room, but a hand grabbing his stopped him. Sunwoo looked back as Haknyeon turned and let his hand slip of his shoulder. He laced the fingers together and looked down at their joined hands. 

“You know,” he started slowly, “I’m kind of relieved, looking back at it. Relieved I didn’t make it.” 

He looked up and seemed to search Sunwoo’s eyes for something. 

“I made a promise after all.” Sunwoo’s eyes widened and he was about to open his mouth and asked when Haknyeon let go of his hand and smiled, before he turned towards the bathroom. The younger remained frozen for a few moments in the middle of the room before he slowly walked towards his original destination. 

He entered Haknyeon’s room and climbed up the ladder, switching on the small light when he sat down. He was thoroughly confused by his friend’s behaviour. Instead of laying down, he leaned against the wall. Why would Haknyeon mention the promise? 

Unless he knew about the words on Sunwoo’s skin? Or did he have words on himself as well? Or was he just coincidentally hitting the nail on the head? Sunwoo groaned and leaned his head against the wall. He was confused and he needed to clear this up. 

As if on call, Haknyeon entered the room in short pants and a T-shirt, ready for bed. He climbed up the ladder, raised a brow at Sunwoo’s sitting position and decided to sit down next to him. His head fell against his shoulder and he breathed deeply. 

“I missed you.” he whispered. Sunwoo snorted. 

“You were gone just over a week. Not like it was a long time.” Haknyeon raised his head from his shoulder to look at Sunwoo.

“It was less the actual time, and more the possible prospect of not seeing you in the future that made me miss you. “ he said, his breath hitting the base of Sunwoo’s neck. The younger turned to look at him and almost regretted it. 

Their faces were only inches apart, noses almost touching, breath mingling. He gulped and focussed on Haknyeon’s eyes. They were like dark pools pulling him in. His eyes flitted up over his face, the tip of his nose, the curve of his lips, the arch of his brow, the way a few strands of hair fell over his forehead from his still parted hair. His eyes returned to Haknyeon’s gaze and he lifted a slightly shivering hand to gently brush the stray strands away. 

His hand lingered on Haknyeon’s temple, fingers barely touching his face. Haknyeon didn’t move, but there was neither surprise nor any negative emotions in his gaze. Just an explicit… fondness. Sunwoo lowered his hand down slowly, cupping the side of the older’s face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Their gaze still didn’t break, but Sunwoo wasn’t sure where to go from here.

“I can’t think like this,” he whispered and a smile broke out on Haknyeon’s face. His eyes closed and he leaned more into the touch of his hand, before he turned his body more towards Sunwoo and rested his head on his shoulder again, his arm thrown over the younger's midriff. 

“Is this better, then?” he asked. Sunwoo nodded and leaned down to once again buried his face in Haknyeon’s hair, his other arm slipping around the older and tightening the hug.

“What promise?” he asked and felt Haknyeon frown against the skin of his slightly exposed skin. The neckline of his shirt had been pulled to the side and it was hanging off his shoulder. 

“The promise I made.” he just replied while the fingers of his hand slowly slid up Sunwoo’s stomach and came to a rest over his heart. He was sure Haknyeon could feel how quickly it was beating, could hear it from where his head laid. 

“What did you promise?” he asked, his voice cracking a bit. His hand was still resting on Haknyeon’s face, his thumb occasionally brushing the soft skin. Haknyeon mirrored his movement where his hand was resting on Sunwoo’s chest.

“To not let go.” he whispered. “To remain, just as we are. To not let go of your hand.” 

His voice got more quiet with every word, but maybe it was drowned out with the pounding of Sunwoo’s heart. He recognised the lines, of course he did, but one word was different. 

“My hand?” he asked shakily. Haknyeon nodded and his hand brushed over Sunwoo’s chest, as if he knew where the words he had spoken were written into his skin. 

“I promised.” he said. “Even if the question came rather late.” 

This threw Sunwoo for a loop entirely. What question? As he mulled the thought over, Haknyeon sat up and looked at him fondly. Their legs had been tangled before and as he turned to face Sunwoo, he sat down on his thigh.

“Sunwoo,” he called with a soft voice, “I think I should show you something.” 

Sunwoo looked at him like deer caught in headlights, and his eyes widened even more when Haknyeon started pulling up the seam of his shirt. What was going on? What part did he miss to be that out of the loop? Haknyeon stopped when he had exposed most of his chest and looked down at his ribs. Sunwoo followed his gaze and gasped.

There, on the left side of his chest, right underneath his heart and leading towards the ribs, were words in blue ink. Familiar words. Sunwoo stretched out a hand and traced them softly with his fingers, his palm coming to rest at the curve of Haknyeon’s side. 

_ Don’t leave. Stay with me. Always. _

His words. He looked up at Haknyeon’s face who chuckled at his flabbergasted expression. 

“They appeared just before the final ranking started.” he said. “We were getting back into our uniforms when my chest prickled and I saw them.” 

A smile lit up his face. 

“I was sure they were from you.” Sunwoo’s mouth fell open.

“How-” he stuttered, “how did you know?” Haknyeon traced a finger over the words.

“Always - the song I mean. I directed those words at you. It felt as if I was talking to you. And…” he looked up again. “And I was sure you heard me.” 

“Not just 'Always'.” Sunwoo whispered. Haknyeon looked perplexed at that. 

“Not just 'Always'.” he repeated. “'Open up' too.” Now Haknyeon looked lost for the first time.

“The lines you sang appeared on me every since then.” he explained. “first on my wrist, and they vanished again quickly. But then they stayed, further up my arm, for more than a day. I only recognised them when saw you sing.” 

Sunwoo looked down at his wrist, as he spoke gaze wandering up to were the first words had last been.

“You are like a dream.”Haknyeon murmured, eyes widened as the words materialized in front of his eyes. Sunwoo smiled as the other stretched out his hand to trace the words on his upper arm. His hands dropped the shirt he had been holding up, but it was kept up by the hand Sunwoo still had on Haknyeon’s side and that had wandered to the curve of his waist. The warm skin was so soft against his rougher palms.

“You said ‘not just always’” Haknyeon remarked and looked up at Sunwoo. He didn’t need to completely say the question - Sunwoo understood and sat up completely. He retrieved his hand from Haknyeon’s waist, unwillingly so, and grabbed the hem of his shirt. Before he could lose courage he took a deep breath, pulled it over his head and dropped in on the bed. 

Haknyeon’s eyes widened even more, his mouth formed into a little ‘oh’ and he leaned forward to trace the letters above Sunwoo’s heart. The younger became aware of their close proximity all of a sudden. There had been some distance between them before with Sunwoo leaning back and Haknyeon sitting mostly straight. But now Sunwoo was upright and Haknyeon was leaning into him. 

He wanted to pull the other closer, but there was one last question remaining for him. And he needed the answer. 

“Why one heart?” he asked , looking down at Haknyeon’s bowed head. He could feel his breath against his bare skin and the gentle touch had him slowly lose his mind.

“Because,” Haknyeon replied and lifted his head, “that’s what I thought. That it’s just me.” 

They were at eye level now, and Sunwoo lifted one of his hands that had been resting on the bed beside him to carefully place it back on Haknyeon’s waist. The older’s eyes searched his face for confirmation of his statement, but they only found a deep fondness and adoration. Haknyeon softly exhaled, relieved. 

“Turns out I was wrong I guess.” 

The featherlike touch on Sunwoo’s chest wandered deeper, towards his ribs hand around to his back while Haknyeon’s other hand cupped his face and slowly slid down his neck. He tightened his grip on Haknyeon’s waist and slipped his other hand around the older to, sliding it slowly up his back to pull him closer as Haknyeon did the same. 

Their breath mingled, their noses bumped softly against each other before Haknyeon leaned his forehead against Sunwoo’s and closed his eyes. 

“I couldn’t let you go.” he whispered, the movement of his lips having them bump softly against the younger's. Sunwoo studied Haknyeon’s face for a moment: his closed eyes, his long lashes fanned out over his checks, the soft smile playing on his lips, the way he breathed against him. Then he tilted his head a bit and pressed his lips against Haknyeon’s. 

It was sweet, chaste. Haknyeon moved his lips against his, slowly, languidly and with a softness that spoke bounds. His grips in Sunwoo’s neck was still gentle, his fingers playing with the short hair there. Sunwoo pulled him closer, the hand around his waist slipping onto Haknyeon’s lower back. 

He nipped at his lower lip with his teeth an Haknyeon gasped and opened his mouth for Sunwoo to explore. He tilted his head a bit more to slot their lips together at a better angle and let his tongue slip past the seam of the older’s lips, meeting his. It wasn’t about dominance, the way they tangled around each other and separated again. He let his tongue touch the roof of Haknyeon’s mouth and then pulled back. 

They separated and Sunwoo looked into Haknyeon’s eyes. They were shining, and Haknyeon caressed his jaw with the hand he had on his neck. His other hand left Sunwoo’s side and cupped the other half of his face, pulling him towards him for another kiss, deepening it almost immediately. Sunwoo leaned forward into Haknyeon, the hand on his lower back slipping all the way around to reach the opposite side of his hip and the one on his upper back fisting into the shirt he was wearing. A tiny moan left him when Haknyeon sucked on his tongue and pulled back a bit to bite his lower lip harshly, only to smooth over the bite with a lick of his tongue. 

Sunwoo tipped them over to the side and maneuvered Haknyeon onto his back with one of his legs still between the older’s legs. He pulled his arms from where they had become trapped under the other, one rubbing at his waist, the other grabbing his hip. Haknyeon moved his hands to the back of the younger’s head and tangled his fingers in his hair. 

Sunwoo pulled back again to look at the beautiful boy underneath him. A rosy flush painted his cheeks, his eyes shone and his lips were slightly swollen and red from their liplock. A small smile was playing around them and Sunwoo couldn’t help but reciprocate it. 

He leaned down and left a small kiss on the corner of Haknyeon’s lips, moving up to do the same on his cheekbone and slowly moved down to his jawline. He ducked down to leave small pecks on his neck, going down to the juncture of his neck before he moved back up, turning to open-mouthed kisses, his tongue sneaking out to lick at the skin occasionally. 

He heard Haknyeon gasp at the sensation. He moved to a spot right under his jawline he kissed before he sucked some skin between his teeth and bit down, sucking and kissing at the spot until a small hickey was formed. Haknyeon’s grip tightened in his hair. When he was done and raised his head to look at his work, the older pulled him up again to smash their lips together one more time. 

Sunwoo felt his body tense underneath him and suddenly found himself flipped onto his back with Haknyeon hovering over him. His hands fell next to his head and the older grabbed them to lace their fingers together, effectively pressing Sunwoo’s arms against the pillow. A small whimper left his lips and he could feel Haknyeon smirk against his skin. The older had lowered his lips against the side of Sunwoo’s face. 

He mirrored Sunwoo’s earlier actions, slowly kissing down his neck in soft kisses while he slowly stretched his arms above his head, rendering the younger immobilised. His grip remained soft, however, to give him the chance to free himself at any time. His mouth wandered down to his bare collarbone, tongue skimming over the skin until he seemed to have found a spot. He kissed the patch of skin before he softly bit down on Sunwoo’s collarbone and sucked. 

The younger squirmed and gasped at the feeling - he had not been aware how sensitive he was there - and gripped Haknyeon’s hands tightly. Eventually the older lifted his head to leave a small kiss on the spot and then look up at Sunwoo. 

Right above the _ Always _, a dark spot had appeared on his skin, almost like a mark. Sunwoo raised his eyebrow amusedly and Haknyeon shrugged with a smile. He seemed to have a slightly possessive streak…

The older made his way back up until he was face to face with the younger and laid his face on the pillow, looking at him. Half of his body was beside Sunwoo and his hands let go of the other’s, one to smooth down his chest again and come to rest there, the uther he tucked underneath his head. Sunwoo wound one arm around Haknyeon and placed his other on the hand on his chest. 

“I don’t think I could ever let you go.” he whispered as their eyes found each other.


End file.
